USA TODAY: ..Of the more than 1.1 million people now enrolled, nearly 1 million signed up in December, with the majority coming in the week before a pre-Christmas deadline for coverage to start in January. Compare that to a paltry 27,000 in October —the website’s first, error-prone month — or 137,000 in November. The figures […]
Category: Community Service Profile
Arch St. Center survived state impasse, fears what’s ahead
The Arch Street Center, which works to provide a friendly gathering place for adults suffering mental health issues, almost went under during last year’s budget impasse. With staff members cut from 12 to zero and, after some wrangling, back up to three, the center would have not have been able to maintain any of its normal services if it were not for the generosity and understanding of the surrounding community…
James St. Improvement District turns 7
When it comes to quality of life issues, many city residents have just a single entity with whom to share their concerns: the city government. But, since March of 2003, residents of northwest Lancaster City—and a few blocks east of the Queen Street line—have had a strong, well-funded advocate in the James Street Improvement District…
PA gets an “F” for children’s dental care
In a report released this week from the Pew Center on the States, Pennsylvania was among nine states given a failing score for their provision of children’s dental care. Pennsylvania only met national averages in two of eight separate categories for policy improvement, including…
Private donors pay for government rehab mandates
Since the late-1980’s the nonprofit Naaman Center in Elizabethtown has worked to provide residents of Lancaster and Dauphin County with intensive outpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation services. The center receives a considerable portion of it’s referrals and income from private sources; however, the organization also serves County-funded clients, often referred through the parole office. But the County allocation for this fiscal year has already dried up…
Homeless services work against greater challenges
The state of homelessness in Lancaster County is not faring well in these first months of 2010: The effects of a sluggish national economy have swiftly trickled down to society’s lowest income brackets; a local shelter (Crispus Attucks) has recently closed its doors, pulling about 20 beds from our social safety net; and a cold, blustery winter relentlessly bears down on both rich and poor. Fortunately, Lancaster’s homeless services are rising to the challenge…
COMMENTARY: When state stiffs addiction care, society foots the bill
Rick Kastner, Executive Director of the Lancaster County Drug and Alcohol Commission, knows that funding for addiction treatment is about more than just comfy government budgets: These dollars—and the lack thereof—bear a distinct human impact in Lancaster County. For example, this week Kastner had to decline funding for halfway house services to a county resident who had run out of options…
The root of student homelessness
According to Ken Marzinko, coordinator of the School District of Lancaster Homeless Students Project, the greatest challenge in serving Lancaster’s homeless students is a shortage of affordable housing in the area. Kay Moshier McDivitt, Community Homeless Advisor for Lancaster County, told NewsLanc that the county’s lack of low-income housing is part of a national crisis.
Serving homeless students as a first priority
Given the circumstances, the School District of Lancaster’s Homeless Students Project is a success worthy of note. Project Coordinator Ken Marzinko mentioned the statewide recognition that Lancaster’s program has received: Sheldon Winnick, coordinator of the State Homeless Children’s Education Fund, once told Marzinko that Lancaster’s is the foremost homeless education program in Pennsylvania. This reputation has even brought the PA Secretary of Education for a visit…
Serving the city’s 900 homeless students
Over the course of last year, more than 900 students in the School District of Lancaster qualified as ‘homeless.’ These students, largely at the elementary level, have no permanent residence, no reliable income, and no certainty of persevering through graduation. Even worse, these students are at high risk of following their parents’ footsteps into a homeless adulthood…
Compass Mark contends for treatment over incarceration
Dave Bender, Executive Director of Compass Mark, is optimistic about the potential for addiction treatment services to improve quality of life in Lancaster County. According to Bender, “a stronger society” can be built by working to inform and empower individuals in their personal choices regarding addiction, rather than merely imposing prohibitive laws…
Sertoma Club’s first car show a success
The Sertoma Club of Lancaster, already famous for hosting the “World’s Largest Chicken Barbeque,” hosted its first Classic Car Show in Long’s Park last Saturday. Billed as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream Car Show,” the event was tinged with a Renaissance theme and drew about 800 cars. According to Jon McDonald, chairman for the event, similar shows that have been established for more than 20 years might only draw as few as 300 cars.
Compass Mark emphasizes choice in student intervention
Since its inception (then as the “Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse”) in 1966, Compass Mark has been seeking to work “ahead of the curve” in providing addiction treatment and prevention services in Lancaster County. In the early years, according to Executive Director Dave Bender, this meant setting up Lancaster’s first detox, halfway house, and residential counseling program…
Eastern Market: In the neighborhood for sustainable healthy living
As mentioned in the previous installment of this series, Eastern Market draws a quarter of its business from the surrounding neighborhood. According to Smith, this relationship with the East—and specifically Southeast—sections of Lancaster City lies at the heart of the Market’s very existence. Increasing neighborhood involvement is Eastern Market’s top priority: “I think, generally, it’s a neighborhood that doesn’t necessarily shop at Central Market, so there’s potential for us to tap into an entirely different population,” Smith said.